310 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



On catching sight of us, they rushed down to the marshy 

 ground where their herds were watering, snatched up their 

 spears and gourds and drove their goats into the bush to the 

 accompaniment of a good deal of shouting. At this point 

 we thought that they had done enough for our entertainment, 

 so sent our guide after them to tell them who we were. 



After "chop" the guide took his pay in cloth and 

 bade us farewell. The wind now dropped and the mist, 

 which had been for some time furling itself up in layers 

 of little clouds, was dispersed by a hot sun, whose rays we 

 did our best to combat with bushes that we cut down 

 to make a screen ; but with small success, for the leaf was 

 not thick enough to give much shelter. We therefore, 

 tried to forget our discomfort in activity, and Talbot went 

 off to look for hartebeest, while I turned my attention to 

 the investigation of the bird-life of the locality, with one eye 

 open to collect evidences that the Lake in these parts was 

 not merely phantasmagoria in the brain of our erstwhile 

 guide. I made several incursions into the maria thorn, 

 tearing my clothes on the spikes as I waded knee-deep 

 in the water. Each time I paused to listen, the stillness was 

 gently parted by the liquid piping of the reed, and the shrill 

 shivering little note of the sedge-warbler. How magically 

 their voices carried me back in spirit to the osier beds at Rye, 

 and for a while my thoughts forgot to follow my footsteps 

 and threaded long vistas of dear memories opening at their 

 calls. So, perhaps it is not to be wondered at that, following 

 those sounds on so far a journey, I did not see a single bird ; 

 yet I felt content to have heard their very friendly little 

 voices. 



